West Des Moines, IA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Rescue Permits (2026)

West Des Moines City Code section 5-3-3 makes it unlawful for anyone to keep, shelter, or harbor a dangerous animal as a pet, or act as its custodian, within the city, except as section 5-3-4 allows. Section 5-3-4 lists five circumstances where the section 5-3-3 prohibition does not apply, including public zoos, bona fide educational or medical institutions, humane societies and museums keeping live specimens for viewing or research; traveling circuses, carnivals or exhibits displaying to the public under required licenses; licensed veterinary hospitals treating an animal; and, most directly on point, subsection D, the keeping of dangerous animals by a wildlife rescue organization with an appropriate permit from the Iowa Conservation Commission.

A fifth exception covers animals already in the possession of the Iowa Conservation Commission under Iowa Code chapters 109 and 109A. "Dangerous animal" is defined in section 5-3-2 to include any animal not naturally tame that can kill or seriously injure people or domestic animals, plus a per se list naming wolves and coyotes, bears, apes and monkeys other than the squirrel monkey, elephants, wild boar, venomous snakes, black widow spiders and scorpions, and non-domestic cats. A rescue organization without the required state permit gets no exemption and remains subject to the general prohibition and its seizure procedure.